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24:
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was looking to purchase Birka Line in its entirety (Eckerö already owned 42% of Birka Line). On 24 May 2007 it was reported that a public offer made by Eckerö had increased their ownership in Birka Line to 57.9%. On 28 May Birka Line officially became a daughter company of Eckerö Line.
404:
in 2004. The ship was delivered in a time when there was a very strong competition for cruise and ferry passengers on the northern Baltic Sea. Due to lack of passengers and because of financial problems, the
339:, but during construction the shipyard went bankrupt, radically raising the cost of the ship. Birka did not accept delivery of the ship with such a high price, and the ship was instead completed for
748:
860:
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374:. In October the same year, the ship was chartered back to NCL. Although she remained under Birka Line ownership until 1997, the second
782:
385:
was rebuilt with additional cabins and more streamlined superstructure. In
January 2002 Birka Line purchased the entirety of
855:
845:
410:
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was sold to Louis Cruise Lines in early 2006. On 8 March 2007 it was reported that the fellow Ă…landian shipping company
137:
143:
In July 2020 Eckerö Line announced that it was shutting down its Birka
Cruises subsidiary after 49 years of operation.
389:
which was renamed Birka Cargo. In
November of the same year the company placed an order for a new cruise ship with
763:
688:
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360:
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751:
500+ lose jobs as 49-year-old Birka
Cruises goes out of business, Tallink Silja cuts hundreds too.
662:
624:
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In the late 1980s the company placed an order for a second cruise ship, to operate alongside the
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in
Helsinki. With the delivery of the new ship, the company became marketed as
830:
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34:
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200:
167:
121:
70:
210:. However, due to rising fuel costs and the high fuel consumption of the
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302:, as an attempt to show its focus on cruises. The following year the
292:
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166:. On November 21, she made her first voyage between Stockholm and
367:
156:
806:
90:
815:Ă…landslinjen / Birka Line / Birka Cruises at Fakta om Fartyg
136:. Since May 2007 Birka Line has been a daughter company of
734:
YLE News - Birka Line becomes a daughter company of Eckerö
188:. In 1973 Birka started traffic on the routes Stockholm–
783:
Helsingin
Sanomat - Eckerö gains majority of Birka Line
280:
in her original appearance, photographed in
Mariehamn.
132:. During the 1970s the company was often marketed as
86:
76:
66:
58:
50:
40:
30:
764:Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö Press Release 8. 3. 2007
773:, from Kauppalehti Online, retrieved 22. 3. 2007
314:. In 1990 Birka Line purchased the majority of
214:, both lines were terminated in late 1973. The
151:Birka Line was founded in 1971, they bought MS
128:. Birka Line has a cargo-shipping subsidiary,
8:
16:
284:On 22 April 1986 Birka's first newbuilding
230:. The company continued operating with the
22:
15:
437:
429:is Birka Line's flagship, built in 2004.
861:Transport companies established in 1971
723:
831:Ms Birka ex Birka Paradise Video Clips
246:to free the name for a newer ship, MS
729:
727:
124:as the starting point under the name
7:
378:never sailed for Birka Line again.
332:shipyard. The ship was to be named
531:, a Birka Cargo ship, in Helsinki.
14:
502:
706:(planned delivery 1992)—now MS
657:(1986–2006)—sank in 2007 as MS
366:for cruising from Stockholm to
866:1971 establishments in Finland
823:Birka Cargo at Fakta om Fartyg
1:
851:Shipping companies of Finland
359:in May 1992, and renamed her
276:Birka's first newbuilding MS
482:
479:
397:. The ship was completed as
254:in January 1978 and renamed
91:http://www.birkacruises.com/
695:Ordered but never delivered
882:
411:Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö
138:Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö
21:
785:, retrieved 25. 5. 2007
736:, retrieved 30 May 2007
351:Birka Line purchased MS
250:that was purchased from
689:Westwood Shipping Lines
648:(1978–87)—scrapped 2008
639:(1971–77)—scrapped 2005
630:(1973–74)—scrapped 2011
621:(1972–80)—scrapped 2003
612:(1977–78)—scrapped 1987
291:was delivered from the
226:returned to her owners
199:and Stockholm–Helsinki–
181:was bought and renamed
532:
430:
281:
238:until 1978. The first
754:Retrieved 4 July 2020
526:
512:|Laid up since 2020|
425:
357:Norwegian Cruise Line
275:
846:Defunct cruise lines
674:(1992)—scrapped 2021
341:Majesty Cruise Line
18:
856:Companies of Ă…land
769:2016-03-03 at the
663:Louis Cruise Lines
533:
431:
347:. In place of the
308:Louis Cruise Lines
282:
683:(2002–04)—now MS
579:Birka Transporter
516:
515:
310:, becoming their
296:Vuosaari shipyard
177:s sister ship MS
96:
95:
873:
827:
819:
810:Official website
802:Rederi Ab Eckerö
789:
788:
780:
774:
761:
755:
746:
740:
739:
731:
712:Thomson Holidays
587:Baltic Excellent
508:
506:
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312:Princesa Marissa
176:
159:and renamed her
112:that operated a
110:shipping company
26:
19:
881:
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871:
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771:Wayback Machine
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708:Thomson Majesty
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685:Westwood Pomona
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521:
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470:Birka Stockholm
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387:United Shipping
316:United Shipping
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12:
11:
5:
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796:External links
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654:Birka Princess
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547:Birka Exporter
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529:Birka Exporter
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427:Birka Paradise
419:
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407:Birka Princess
401:Birka Paradise
391:Aker Finnyards
383:Birka Princess
372:St. Petersburg
323:Birka Princess
288:Birka Princess
278:Birka Princess
261:. In 1980 the
220:Rederi AB Svea
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45:Transportation
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808:Birka Cruises
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563:Birka Shipper
559:
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555:Birka Express
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539:Birka Carrier
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434:Birka Cruises
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345:Royal Majesty
342:
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300:Birka Cruises
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126:Birka Cruises
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99:Birka Cruises
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20:
826:(in Swedish)
818:(in Swedish)
807:
787:(in Finnish)
778:
759:
750:
744:
738:(in Finnish)
707:
702:
684:
680:Birka Forest
679:
670:
658:
653:
644:
635:
626:
617:
608:
605:(1971–77) /
601:
594:Former ships
586:
578:
571:Birka Trader
570:
562:
554:
546:
538:
528:
495:34,924
469:
426:
406:
400:
382:
381:In 1999 the
380:
375:
362:
352:
348:
344:
335:
322:
320:
311:
306:was sold to
303:
299:
287:
283:
277:
265:was sold to
262:
257:
247:
243:
242:was renamed
239:
235:
231:
223:
218:was sold to
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195:
184:
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171:
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152:
150:
142:
134:Ă…landslinjen
133:
129:
125:
102:
98:
97:
67:Headquarters
31:Company type
703:Birka Queen
671:Birka Queen
659:Sea Diamond
636:Drottningen
519:Birka Cargo
476:Cruise ship
376:Birka Queen
363:Birka Queen
349:Birka Queen
336:Birka Queen
269:interests.
224:Drottningen
207:Drottningen
170:. In 1972,
130:Birka Cargo
114:cruise ship
840:Categories
749:YLE News.
718:References
645:Prinsessan
618:Baronessan
602:Prinsessan
450:In service
304:Prinsessan
263:Baronessan
258:Prinsessan
240:Prinsessan
236:Baronessan
232:Prinsessan
185:Baronessan
172:Prinsessan
163:Prinsessan
153:Prinsessen
118:Baltic Sea
103:Birka Line
101:(formerly
35:Subsidiary
17:Birka Line
491:Mariehamn
487:Stockholm
483:2004–2020
252:Finnlines
248:Finnhansa
201:Leningrad
168:Mariehamn
122:Stockholm
105:) was an
71:Mariehamn
767:Archived
627:Freeport
327:Wärtsilä
267:Panamian
222:and the
216:Freeport
212:Freeport
196:Freeport
190:Helsinki
107:Ă…landian
77:Products
41:Industry
609:Prinsen
456:Tonnage
353:Sunward
325:, from
244:Prinsen
147:History
116:on the
87:Website
81:Cruises
59:Defunct
51:Founded
510:Sweden
507:
462:Notes
293:Valmet
453:Route
447:Built
418:Fleet
395:Rauma
355:from
330:Turku
203:with
192:with
175:'
155:from
120:with
710:for
687:for
480:2004
459:Flag
444:Type
441:Ship
370:and
368:Riga
234:and
179:Olav
157:DFDS
62:2020
54:1971
701:MS
678:MS
669:MS
652:MS
643:MS
634:MS
625:MS
616:MS
607:MS
600:MS
585:MS
577:MS
569:MS
561:MS
553:MS
545:MS
537:MS
527:MS
468:MS
399:MS
361:MS
343:as
334:MS
286:MS
256:MS
205:MS
194:MS
183:MS
161:MS
842::
726:^
497:GT
393:,
318:.
228:SJ
140:.
665:)
661:(
489:–
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